Blueberry Ricotta Pie
intro
Creamy, lightly sweet ricotta custard topped with juicy burst blueberries in a buttery graham cracker crust—this bright, comforting pie is ideal for warm summer gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prebake the pie crust
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, and 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, stirring until all crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 9-inch (23cm) glass pie dish. Bake the empty crust for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Mix smooth ricotta filling
In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups well-drained whole-milk ricotta, the remaining ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 room-temperature large eggs, ¼ cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Mix on low speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes (or whisk by hand for 3 minutes) until the mixture is completely smooth with no visible lumps. Do not overmix on high speed, as this incorporates too much air and can cause the custard to crack while baking.
Prep fresh blueberries
Set aside ½ cup of the fresh blueberries to use as a raw topping after baking. In a small bowl, toss the remaining 1 ½ cups blueberries with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until every berry is lightly and evenly coated, with no dry clumps of cornstarch left in the bowl. The cornstarch will absorb excess berry juice as the pie bakes, preventing a soggy crust.
Assemble the uncooked pie
Pour the smooth ricotta filling evenly over the cooled prebaked graham cracker crust, spreading it gently with a spatula to create a level surface. Scatter the cornstarch-coated blueberries across the top of the filling, pressing each very lightly so they sit half-submerged in the custard. Do not push berries all the way to the crust, as they will sink slightly on their own during baking. Set the pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper to catch any potential drips during baking.
Bake the pie gently
Transfer the baking sheet with the pie to the preheated 175°C (350°F) oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The pie is done when the outer 2 inches of custard are set and slightly puffed, but the central 2-inch circle jiggles softly like set Jell-O when you nudge the dish. Overbaking will result in a rubbery, grainy custard, so err on the side of a jiggly center, as residual heat will finish setting it as it cools.
Cool and serve chilled
Let the pie cool completely at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 2 hours. Right before slicing into 8 even wedges, scatter the reserved ½ cup fresh blueberries across the top of the pie for a bright, fresh pop of flavor and color.
Tips
2.If you use frozen blueberries for the filling, thaw them completely and pat dry with paper towels before tossing with cornstarch, as excess melted ice will make the crust soggy and dilute the berry flavor.
3.If the crust edges start to darken too quickly during baking, wrap a thin strip of aluminum foil around the pie rim for the last 15 minutes of cook time to prevent burning.
Made this for my office potluck yesterday and it was a total game changer! People were literally asking me for the recipe before they even finished their first bite! The ricotta makes it so much lighter than a regular custard pie, and the burst blueberries are chef’s kiss. 10/10 will be making this all summer long while blueberries are on sale.
Wait, can I use frozen blueberries for this? I don’t have fresh on hand and I want to make this for my book club meetup tomorrow!
SO good! I brought this to our neighborhood block party last weekend and the whole pan was gone in 15 minutes. I added a little lemon zest to the crust per my usual trick and it paired so nicely with the blueberry and ricotta. My husband said it’s better than the cheesecake I make for his birthday, oops!
Meal prepped this for my post-hike snacks this week and it’s perfect. Not too sweet, high protein from the ricotta, holds up great in the cooler when I’m out on the trails. I cut it into individual squares and wrapped them up, no mess. Way better than the boring granola bars I usually pack.
I was nervous about how simple this recipe was since I usually mess up easy bakes, but it turned out perfect first try! The texture is so dreamy, not heavy at all like a lot of fruit pies I’ve made before. My whole roommates devoured half of it before it even fully cooled, oops.
Really tasty pie! Only note is I wish the recipe called for a little more sugar in the ricotta layer, my family likes our desserts on the sweeter side so I added an extra 2 tbsp next time I made it and it was perfect for us. The blueberry topping is *chef’s kiss* though, no changes needed there.
Wait why have I never thought to put ricotta in a fruit pie before? This is life changing. I made it with wild blueberries I picked up at the farmers market over the weekend and the flavor was unmatched. Way easier than making a blueberry cheesecake, too, half the work for the same vibe.
Made this for my coffee group meetup this morning and everyone raved about it. I served it with a little dollop of homemade whipped cream on top and it was the perfect pairing with our lattes. It’s light enough that we didn’t feel sluggish after eating a slice at 10am, which is a huge win for morning get togethers.
My wife asked me to make a dessert for our family dinner last Sunday and I picked this one because it said easy. Let me tell you, as a guy who almost exclusively cooks meat on the grill, I was shocked how well this turned out! Even my mother in law, who never compliments my cooking, asked for seconds. Total win.
How long does this keep in the fridge? I want to make it ahead for my sister’s baby shower next weekend so I don’t have to stress about baking the day of the party!
I made this gluten free by using a gluten free graham cracker crust and it turned out absolutely perfect! You couldn’t even tell it was GF, my non-GF friends didn’t believe me when I told them. So happy to have an easy, crowd pleasing GF dessert to bring to gatherings now!
OMG this is my new go-to summer dessert. I’ve made it three times in the last two weeks, once for a cookout, once for my book club, once just because I was craving it. It’s so easy I don’t even have to look at the recipe anymore, that’s how much I’ve got it memorized. 100/10 no notes.
I’ve been making ricotta pies for 40 years and this recipe is one of the best I’ve tried. The ratio of ricotta to blueberry is perfect, not too much of one or the other. I added a little almond extract to the filling like my mother used to do and it was just divine. Will be passing this recipe along to my grandkids for sure.
I think I messed up my pie! The filling was still a little jiggly in the middle when I pulled it out after the full cook time, did I do something wrong? It tasted amazing, but the slices didn’t hold their shape super well when I served it.
My kids loved it! I was worried the ricotta would be a weird texture for them because they usually turn their noses up at anything “creamy” but they both asked for thirds. I let them sprinkle extra blueberries on top before baking and they felt like little chefs, such a fun easy recipe to make with kids too.
I swapped the whole milk ricotta for part-skim to cut a few calories and it still turned out so rich and creamy, I couldn’t tell the difference at all! It’s the perfect light dessert to bring to post-yoga brunch with my friends, not too heavy so we don’t feel bloated after class.
Made this with fresh blueberries I picked myself out in Mount Rainier National Park last weekend and it was the best thing I’ve baked all summer. The sweet, fresh berries paired so well with the smooth ricotta, I didn’t even need to add any extra toppings. So simple but so flavorful.
Made this for my daughter’s high school graduation party over the weekend and it was a massive hit. We had 30 people over and I made two pies, both were completely gone by the end of the night. Multiple people told me it was the best dessert they’d had all year. So easy to make even for a big crowd, I can’t recommend it enough.